An arpeggio is simply the notes of a chord played one at a time. There are different ways to play arpeggios depending on the scope of the notes chosen.

Full Range

When crossing over all of the strings to play arpeggios it is more efficient to use the same finger on the higher string to cover the lower strings on the way down, i.e. playing the G string and dragging the same finger over the D, A and E strings in one single motion. If this was done using a pick it would be called sweep picking which can be a very fast way to play.

Example W1

Example W2

Example W2 uses root notes, thirds and fifths moving up and down the entire key. This is also a good warm up exercise.

Example W3

Examples W3 and W4 have the same chord progression. The first is played as chords and the second as arpeggios. Using both techniques during a song can add variety and dynamics.

Example W4

Raking

This piece uses a series of small "sweeps" which is known as the raking technique. Rakes are generally more muted than sweeps. Such muting would be achieved by holding the strings loosely with the left hand. See the section on embellishments for more examples involving raking.

Example W5

See Example J3 if you are interested in the transcription of this.

Click here for suggestions on how to improve your speed when playing scales and arpeggios.

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